Braiding-machine.



W. E. ELLIOTT. BRAIDING MACHINE.

APPLIGATION FILED MAYD, 1913.

Patented July 14, 1914,

6 SHEETSSHEBT 1.

1383 W, KWQ

' W. E. ELLIOTT.

BRAIDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED HAYQ, 1913.

E. BELIOTT. BBAIDING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED HAYS, 1913. 3 1,103,181. Patented July 14; 1914,

6 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

UH newts UWL'HVW 67! mm m-ow QRWOVHCQ.

W. E. ELLIOTT.

BRAIDING MACHINE.

I APPLICATION FILED MAY 9, 19131 1,103,181. Patented July 14,1914

Wimassas .;1nuaM ov v 1 wmmm 11mm.

' MOW/116% W. E. ELLIOTT. BRAIDING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILEDMAY9,,1913.

1,103,181. Patented July 14, 914.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 5.

Fig.6.

'To 'alljwnom it may concern TED STATES rennmmwivrncmnn.

T Beit known thatI, WILLIAM E. Eriuorr,

a citizen ofthe United States of America,

' residing at Grand Rapids, in the county. of

Kentand State ofdvlichigan, have invented certain, new and usefulImprovements in Braiding-Machines; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make andusetne same. My invention relates to improvements'in braiding machinesand more particularlyto that type of braiding machine'wherein thebobbins carrying the'thread, are carried around in opposite directionsby a series of rotating disksand are transferred from one disk to thenext in succession by'means of magnets, and its object is to provide improved means for returning the, bobbins at each end of the series and toprovide the.

devicewith'various new and useful features as 'hereinaftermore fullydescribed and particularly pointed out in the claims. In such machinesfor making tubular braid, the bobbins are respectively carried in thesame direction continuouslyand in a complete circle,

. and in a machine arranged'for making a flat braid,which is the oneillustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, the series of rotating disks isseparated at one point and each bobbin instead of continuously movingaround the circle in the same direction, is carried around a'disk atthis gap or separation and re-traverses the series in the oppositedirection until they reach a disk at theopposite side of the gap andagain return. It is more practical to arrange this series of rotatingdisks for the fiat braid in a circle as shown, so that the thread fromeach bobbin may-be led toa centrally located point. In this type ofbraiding machine, the adjacent disks which carry the bobbins, arerotated in opposite direct-ions. and each bobbin in following its coursefrom disk to disk, is carried throughout a half revolution on one disk,and is then transferred to the next and carried by this disk anotherhalf revolution and then transferred to the next and so on, and is thuscaused to follow a serpentine path. Each disk of the'series, except thereceive the stems of'the bobbins, and while in operation, enough bobbinsare used to Specification of Letters Patent. Application med May 9,1913. Serial No. 766,658.

Like numbers refer to Patented ma in, rain.

fill half the notches in the disks; there are thus continuously twobobbins carried by each disk and as the bobbins are. transferred fromone disk to another, each bobbin is carried alternately the oppositeside of the diskfrom that of the preceding one, one half of the bobbinswill thus move in opposite directions to the others and thus with halfthe bobbins traversing the series of disks in one direction and thebalance moving in the opposite direction, their paths will constant 7cross each other and the threads'which lead from each bobbin to abraided. In making flat braid the bobbin is carried wholly around thelast "disk in the series and returned over the course in the oppositedirection, and this result is accomplished in the device shown byproviding a larger disk at the end of the series adapted to carry agreater number of bobbins and to retain the same an entire revolutioninstead of only one half of a revolution.

The construction, arrangement and operation of this device, will morefully appear by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which;

Figure l is an elevation of device embodying my invention; Fig. 2 is aplan view of the same with the upper portion of the frame removed; Fig.3 is an enlarged sectional plan on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1, showing aportion of the series of rotating disks; Fig. 4: is an enlargedsectional plan on the line 4-4 illustrating the electrical contacts onthe circuit controlling drums; Fig. 5 is an enlarged sectional detailthrough the axis of the driving shaft, illustrating the means forrotating the disks; Fig. 6 is an enlarged vertical section of one of theseries of rotating disks, and its electrical circuit controlling drums;Fig. 7 is a plan development of the circuit controlling drum for. one ofthe smaller rotating disks; Fig. 8 is a sectional elevation of one ofthe large end disks, together with its circuit controlling mechanism;and, Fig. 9 is a plan development of one of the circuit controllingdrums for the large disks.

like parts in all of the figures.

1. represents the frame of the machine which 1s supported upon legs 2,is annular common-central point, will consequently be in plan view, andprovided with a series of studs 3 circularly arranged and projectingvertically from the frame. These studs serve as bearings for sleeves 4,which carry the rotating disks 5 and are spaced apart so that theperipheries of the disks will be adjacent to each other.

The drawings illustrate my bobbin shifting device applied to a machinefor making flatbraid, and in this machine, a gap is formed at one pointin the series of rotating disks, and the disk 6 adjacent each side ofthis gap is larger in diameter, having five notches 6 in its periphery,instead of the four notches 5 which are formed in the periphery of eachof the smaller disks of the series. a

The sleeve 4 of each set of disks is provided at its base with a gear 11having a pitch diameter equal to the periphery of the disk and the gearon one sleeve meshes with the gear 11 on the sleeves adjacent to it andthus when set in, motion, the series of disks will rotate and theperipheral speed of each disk, including also that of the larger oneswill be uniform, but the direction of rotation of each adjacent diskwill be opposite, consequently, half of the disks will rotate in onedirection while the other half will rotate in the reverse direction. Thepreferred means for driving'these disks, consists of a countershaft 7journaled in the frame and provided with tight and loose pulleys 8 and9, and geared to an idler gear 10,. which in turn meshes with one of thegears 11 on the sleeve 4 of one of the sets of rotating disks.

Each of the intermediate sleeves is provided near its respective endswith'two disks 5 superimposed and spaced apart. All the disks 5 of theintermediate series each have four V shaped notches 5 equally spacedaround the periphery, While the larger disks 6 at the respective ends ofthe series, are each provided with five notches 6*. The bobbins areprovided with square metallic stems 12 adapted to fit into the notchesand long enough to span the space between the superimposed disks. Thebobbins themselves are of any convenient type and are each adapted tocarry a spool of thread 11 and each provided with thread tension devicesfor the same.

A U-shaped magnet 42 is arranged between the superimposed disks oppositeeach pair of the notches, and their poles extend radially from thesleeve and terminate just short of the inner extremity of the notches,and when energized, these magnets attract the metallic stems 12 of thebobbins which thus serve as armatures to the magnets and are .heldthereby within the notches. the bobbins are only carried by theintermediate disks throughout one half of their revolution and are thentransferred to the next adjacent disk, it is necessary toperiodioally'energize and, de'nergize the magnets and to so time theseexcitations, that the bobbins will be attracted and held in the propernotches at the proper time.

The electrical current which is used to excite the magnets is taken fromany con- '70 The drums are and each drum provided with metallic contact,segments" v18 and Y19, one contact plate being provided These brushesengage and 17 fixedoniea'ch on each drum for each magnet to simulta-' Ineously engage the brushes and close the circuit. Conductors 20 and 21connect the magnet coils with the segments on the respective drums andas these drums rotate,

the segments will contact the brushes to complete the circuit for eachrespective magnet. Each pair of segments is so located upon the drums,that the ClI'CIllt'Of' each respective magnet will be closed at the timewhen the notches in the disks opposite it are to receive and hold anarmature carrying a bobbin, this circuit being maintained throughout ahalf revolution of the disk until it is to be transferred to the adjacent disk at which ments pass the brushes and the circuitis broken.

In this type of machine, the. smaller disks point the contact -seg-;

complete a cycle of operations during each rotation, or in other words,the function of each notch and its adjacent magnet,.is iden tical andrepeated each time the disk rotates, consequently, a contact drummounted directly on the sleeve which carries the disks, sufiices to makeandbreak the CIT-H cuits for the magnets of these disks at the propertime, but for the larger disks, adja cent the gap,the cycle ofoperations extends through two complete revolutions of 1 the disks.

It will be noted in connection with 7 these larger disks that one pairof notches receives a bobbin and carries it completely around and backto the starting point, then 25 similar to the studs 6 upon which thetransfers this bobbin to the adjacent smaller rest of the sleeves aremounted and is driven by asmall gear-26 fixed to one of the sleeves 4,which carries a pair of the larger-disks;

this small gear 26 meshing with a gear 27 having twice. the diameter ofthe gear 26,-

which latter is fixed to the sleeve 22, thus speed of the large disks.

driving the half time sleeve atvhalf the It is necessary beforedistributin and timing the current for themagnets these larger. disks,to first carry the current from i the rotating sleeve 4 to the half timesleeve 22 and-this. is doneby providing on the sleeve 4 beneath thedisks two drums28 and 29 'ofwnonconduct-ingl material in each ofwhichiare set .five metallic contact rings, one

, ring'upon each drum being provided for each magnet and connectedthereto by conductors-30 and 3-1. A pair of'corresponding drums 32 and33 are mounted on the half time sleeve 22opposite the drums 28 and 29and are, provided with similar contact rings 36:and.37, andthecurrent iscarried from the rings of the-drums on the sleeve 4 to the correspondingringsv of the drums on the sleeve 22 by brushes 38; these brushes beingfixed on. an insulated post 39 rigidly attached-to the frame.

The distributing and timing drums 23 and 24 are fixed upon the sleeve 22above the drums 32 and 33, and are each provided with fivemetallictcontact segments 44 and 45 on their periphery to correspond innumber withthe number of magnets upon the disks, and these segments areconnected by conductors 46 and, 47 to the contact rings 36 and :37 whiehare in direct electrical circuit with-their respective magnets. A set offixed brushes and 41 is provided for each distributing drum.v One brushon each drum being inthe same circuit and simul- "ltaneously'closes thecircuit through a respeetive magnet coil. By this arrangement, the halftime sleeve completes its cycleof operations during one revolution, butthis one revolution of the half time sleeve, rep.-

' resents two revolutions of the disks 6 and it will beseen that withthe contact segments 44 and 45'extendinghalf the circumference ofthe;drum, that asthese drums rotate and thesegments are engaged bythebrushes 40 I and 41, the circuit for each magnet will be I contactsegments is'so. located that it will be engaged by the brushes and thecircuit closed during a whole revolution of the disks and opena likelength of time and as on the drums for the smaller disks, each pair ofbobbin is drawn diagonally upward to a common central point where itpasses through an eye 48, which issuspended from an elevatedcross'member of the frame 49, and it is'directly beneath this eye 48where the threads come together and cross, that the braiding is done andthe braidedthread after passing through the eye is drawn upward betweenrollers 50 and is led therefrom by any convenient mechanism. The rollers50 are rotated by a shaft 51, which is in turn driven by a Worm and gear52 from a vertical shaft 53, which extends downward and is preferablydriven from one of the gears 12. The thread in passing around the largedisk 6 adjacent the gap,.is guided and prevented from becoming entangledby a needle 54, one end of which is rigidly attached to the stud aboutwhich each of the large disks rotates and this needle projects angularlyupward toward the eye 48 and terminates a short distance therefrom.

Although not illustrated in the drawings, itis obvious that fixed guideplates may be located adjacent the disks to prevent the bobbins droppingfrom place in case the electric circuit should be broken and to insuretheir remaining in the notches should the speed of the disks become sogreat as to cause them to fly therefrom by centrifugal force. Thisfeature however, I do not consider essential to the operation of the.device.

The operation of the device is as follows :-The series of rotating disks5 and 6, are set in motion by rotation of the driving shaft 7 and thebobbins, of which there are two for each disk of the series and oneextra one contained on one of the larger disks, immediately begin tofollow their serpentine paths by being transferred from one disk to thenext, etc., and as half the bobbins traverse the series in onedirection, and the other half follow the serpentine path in the oppositedirection, their paths continuously cross each other and the threadextending upward therefrom and converging at the eye 48, will becontinuously crossed and braided to the desired shape. In order totransfer the bobbins from one disk to another, the magnets which attractthe metallic stems, are constantly being energized and deenergized; thisbeing accomplished in the smallerdisks 5 of the series, by the contactof the various segments 18 and 19 on the controlling drums with thebrushes 14 and 15, which close the circuit for theirTe- .spectivemagnets; the current being led from the contact segments to and from themagnets by the conductors 20 and 21. In

the larger disks 6 where the bobbins are carried completely around theaxis before being transferred, the circuit is first closed by thecontact of the brushes 40 and 41 with the contact segments 44 and 45 onthe half time;

45 sleeves, and brushes contacting the segsleeve, and is then carried byconductors 46 and 47 to the corresponding contact rings '36 and 37 andis thence transferred through and operating to excite'each magnet durineach alternate entire revolution of the said magnet, and commuta-torsfor the intermediate magnets rotating once at each revolution of thesame, and operating to excite each magnet during only one half of eachrevolution. v

2. In a braiding machine, a series of rotating disks, electro-magnetsrotating with the disks, means for exciting the magnets rotating withthe intermediate disks during one half of the revolution of the same,and means for exciting the magnets rotating with the disks at each endof the series comprising contact rings electrically connected to therespective magnet coils and rotating therewith, a, corresponding seriesof half time contact rings rotating at one half the number ofrevolutions of the first named rings, brushes electrically connectingthe opposite rings of the respective series, .a corresponding series ofsegments rotating with the half time rings and respectively connected tothe same, and a series of brushesengaging the segments.

3. In a braiding machine, a series of rotating sleeves carrying rotatingdisks, electro-magnets mounted on the sleeves to attract and hold bobbincarriers, means for exciting the magnets of the intermediate sleevesduring one half of the revolution of the same comprising segments on thements,.contact rings mounted on the end sleeves of the series, a halftime sleeve arranged to rotate one revolution to two revolutions of therespectiveend sleeve, a corresponding series of contact rings on saidhalf time sleeve, brushes connecting opposite rings on the two sleeves,a series of segments on the half time sleeve connected to the respectiverings on the same, a series of brushes engaging the segments, andconductors connected to the said brushes.

, 4;. The combination with a braiding machine having a series ofadjacent rotating disks in which the end disks of the series are largerin diameter than the other disksiin the series and all of the disksprovided with recesses,'metallic bobbin carriers adapted to be carriedby the disks and transferred from one to the other and carriedcompletely around the end disks, of transferring mechanism, comprisingelectromagnets opposite the notches to attract the bobbin carriers intothe same, a rotatable sleeve for each set of end disks and rotating'athalf the speed thereof, means for transferring the electrical currentfrom each magnet to the said sleeve, and means mounted upon the sleevefor intermittently making and breaking the electric circuit, to energizeand denergize the magnets to alternately attract and release thebobbins.

5. The combination with a braiding machine having a series of adjacentrotating disks, the end disk of the series being larger in diameter thanthe other disks of the series and all of said disks provided withnotches, metallic bobbin carriers carried by the disks transferred fromone of said disks to the other and carried completely around the enddisks, transferring mechanism for the end disks comprising, electromagnets opposite the notches to attract the bobbin carriers into thesame, a half time sleeve adjacent each end disk adapted to rotate athalf the speed thereof, contact rings for each magnet electricallyconnected thereto, also connected to the disks and rotating therewith,corresponding contact rings on the half timesleeve, transfer brushesengaging the contact rings on the disk and 'those on the sleeve, contactsegments fixed on the half time sleeve and rotating therewith,corresponding in number with the contact rings and electricallyconnected therewith, and fixed brushes carrying an electrical currentand adapted to engage the contact segments. v

In testimony whereof I ailix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM E. ELLIOTT.

-Witnesses HAROLD O. VAN ANTWERP, LUTHER V. MoUL'roN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D. G.

